Teens are using prescription drugs as recreational drugs. They have easy access to these drugs and consider them safer than street drugs.

Adam Hall died at 18 years old from an overdose of a prescripton muscle relaxant. His mother, Stacy Hall, and Steve Pasierb of the Partnership for a Drug-Free America talk to NBC’s Katie Couric. Read the rest of this entry »

Do you know if your child is taking “psychostimulants” also known as “stiumlants”?

No one knows how many of America’s high school age youngsters are taking prescribed psychiatric drugs, but an estimate of 10 – 15% would not be far off, and for some age groups and circumstances it will be far too low. If we dip into special populations such as those in special education or foster care, the figure for those taking psychiatric drugs approaches 100%.

Now a Stanford study described in the May 24-25, 2008 the Wall Street Journal by reporter Jonathan Kaufman has shown that nearly one in ten of 11th graders take stimulants like Ritalin, Adderall and Concerta without a prescription. Nine percent are taking stimulants illegally. Read the rest of this entry »

Michael Phelps, gold medalist swimmer in the Beijing Olympics, broke the world record for holding the most Gold Medals, 8!

In an interview with his mother by Baltimore, Maryland’s WJS, CBS affiliate, television station, she explained that Michael was diagnosed with ADHD when he was 9 years old. She first tried the route of behavior modification and medication, but then stopped the medication when he was 11. She decided to keep him on a regimented schedule and let him do his favorite sport, swimming, which burned up a lot of that extra energy. Read the rest of this entry »

2.5 million out of the 4 million U.S. children diagnosed with attention-deficit disorders are being treated with stimulant drugs. ADHD drugs like Ritalin, Adderall and Concerta supposedly help your child pay attention. Yes. I would imagine drugging your child into an obedient state might work to make them more manageable for both teacher and parent, but at what risk?

Has your child been diagnosed with Bi-Polar, ADHD, an Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), Anxiety Disorder or Chemical Imbalance? Has your child been prescribed Ritalin, Adderall or any other antidepressant or antipsychotic drug? Are you considering taking your child to see a psychiatrist? Do yourself and your child a favor by reading a free online book about this very subject. If you have a child who is not in this category you should still read this book so that you will be prepared for such a situation, as their are millions of children being prescribed antidepressants. Read the rest of this entry »

U.S. physicians write millions of antidepressant prescriptions per year to patients under the age of 18 and even more for adults.

In 2004 the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) directed the manufacturers of all antidepressant medications to add a “black box” warning that describes the increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior in children and adolescents given antidepressant medications. A “black box” warning is the most serious warning placed in the labeling of a prescription medication.Read the rest of this entry »